Determining Cultural Issues in Attitude to and use of Mobile Phones

Abstract

Cultural background and occupational status can influence the way people interact with and perceive technology. A study was undertaken to gather information on the possible differences in the use of and attitude to mobile phones of British and German university students and young professionals. The research findings were to contribute to the development of future mobile phone interfaces and applications. Geert Hofstedes’s work on culture was used as a framework for interpreting the results and also determining its relevance to the field of HumanComputer Interaction (HCI) in general. The study proved that there were differences between the groups but also many similarities. Also, some of the differences were not as was predicted according to Hofstede.